Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
Year End Review 2019: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
First Session of Parliament After General Elections - productivity of Lok Sabha shoots to 137% and Rajya Sabha rises to 103%; abrogation of Article 370 and Triple Talaq Bills among 30 Bills passed by the Parliament
Winter Session of Parliament - 15 Bills passed in both the Houses; Lok Sabha productivity 116% Rajya Sabha 100%
126th Constitutional Amendment Bill, providing for continuation of reservation of seats for SC/STs for another decade and 124th Constitutional Amendment Bill which will provide reservation for economically weaker sections in general category among major legislations enacted by the Parliament
Special function to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of adoption of the Constitution of India, - “Samvidhan Diwas”; President of India launched web-portal of “National Youth Parliament Scheme”
Winter Session, 2018 of Parliament concluded on January 8-9, 2019; highlight – 124th Constitutional Amendment Bill passed:
The Winter Session, 2018 of Parliament commenced on Tuesday, 11th December, 2018. Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Tuesday, 8th January, 2019 which provided 17 sittings spread over a period of 29 days. Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Wednesday, 9th January, 2019 which provided 18 sittings spread over a period of 30 days. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines, said the productivity of Lok Sabha was approx. 47% and that of Rajya Sabha was approx. 27%.
Shri Tomar said that the special achievement of this session of Parliament was that both Houses passed the 124th Constitutional Amendment Bill which will provide reservation in services and educational institutions for economically weaker sections in general category. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education  Bill, 2019 and National Council for Teacher Education  Bill, 2019 were passed by both Houses of Parliament.
During the Session, 17 Bills  were introduced. The Lok Sabha passed 14 Bills and while the Rajya Sabha passed 04 Bills during the session. 05 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament.
Proclamation issued by the President on the 19th December, 2018 under Article 356 of the Constitution of India in relation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir was discussed and adopted in the Lok Sabha on 28.12.2018 and in the Rajya Sabha on 2nd and 3rd January, 2019 respectively.
Interim Budget Session of Parliament 2019 - Productivity of Lok Sabha - 89% and Rajya Sabha - around 8%; 4 Bills passed by both Houses:
Interim Budget Session, 2019 of Parliament which commenced on Thursday, 31st January, 2019 was adjourned sine die on Wednesday, 13th February, 2019. The Session provided 10 sittings spread over a period of 14 days. The productivity of Lok Sabha was 89% and that of Rajya Sabha was 8% approximately.
This being the first Session of the year, the President addressed both Houses of Parliament on 31st January, 2019. Interim Budget for 2019-20 was presented on Friday, the 1st February. General Discussion on the Interim Budget was held in Lok Sabha. Due to constant interruptions in the House, the Rajya Sabha could not take up the Interim Budget for discussion.
During this Session, a total of 9 Bills  were introduced. 5 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha, 5 Bills were passed by Rajya Sabha and 4 Bills were passed by both Houses of Parliament.
All Political Parties condemn Pulwama Terror Attack and pledge support to Government:
A meeting of floor leaders of various political parties in Parliament, chaired by the Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Rajnath Singh on 16th February, condemned the cowardly terrorist attack on our security forces in Pulwama. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said all political parties, in one voice, condemned the terror attack and observed a two minute silence for the martyred soldiers. A resolution condemning this act of terrorism was also adopted during the meeting, the Minister informed.
Cabinet approved dissolution of the Sixteenth Lok Sabha:
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on 24th May gave its approval to the Resolution advising the President to dissolve the Sixteenth Lok Sabha, which was constituted on 18.05.2014. The first meeting of the Sixteenth Lok Sabha was held on June 4, 2014, when members were administered oath and affirmation. The life of the present Lok Sabha is, therefore, to expire on June 3, 2019, unless the President dissolves it earlier.
Shri Narendra Modi chaired Meeting of Presidents of Political Parties; PM announces a Committee to study the issue of ‘One Country, One Election’ threadbare:
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, chaired a Meeting of Party Presidents of all political parties having representation in Parliament, on 19th June. Issues that came up for discussion included:
Ways to Improve productivity of Parliament; One Country, One Election; Building a New India in the 75th year of Independence; Programme and commitments to Celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary; & Development of aspirational Districts.
Union Minister for Defence, Shri Rajnath Singh conducted the meeting. Various Party Presidents emphasized that an atmosphere of discussion and dialogue must prevail in Parliament. Participants in the meeting also expressed the hope that approximately half of the members of the 17th Lok Sabha, are first time MPs, who would take this opportunity to carry forward the spirit of constructive dialogue in the House.
Government held All Party Leaders Meeting to discuss important issues to come up during Budget Session of Parliament 2019;
Addressing floor leaders of various parties in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in New Delhi on 16th June, on the eve of the Budget Session of Parliament 2019, Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi called on leaders of all political parties in Parliament to work cohesively with the government in running the House smoothly and to collectively address issues related to the welfare of people.
The Prime Minister exhorted all leaders to cooperate with the Government and strive in the direction of making a New India by 2022 and achieve the true meaning of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas'. Shri Modi said that Government is always receptive to the issues raised by all Political Parties and is ready to discuss all issues of national importance on the floor of both Houses of Parliament.
First Session of Parliament After General Elections - productivity of Lok Sabha shoots to 137% and Rajya Sabha rises to 103%; abrogation of Article 370 and Triple Talaq Bills among 30 Bills passed by the Parliament:
The First Session of Seventeenth Lok Sabha commenced on 17th of June, 2019 and 249th Session of Rajya Sabha commenced from 20th June, 2019. Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on 6th August. Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on 7th August. The Session had a total of 37 sittings of Lok Sabha and 35 sittings of the Rajya Sabha.
Being the first Session of the 17th Lok Sabha, new Members took Oath/Affirmation during the first two days i.e. 17th and 18th June. Election of Speaker, Lok Sabha was held on 19th June.
This being the first Session after General Elections, the President addressed both Houses of Parliament assembled together on 20th June. The Union Budget for 2019- 20 was presented on 5th July. General Discussion on the Union Budget was held in both Houses. This engaged the Lok Sabha for 17 Hours 23 minutes against allotted 12 Hours and Rajya Sabha for 12 Hours 30 minutes against allotted 12 Hours.
This Session has been historic in many ways as legislations relating to almost all walks of socioeconomic activities have been passed. A total of 40 Bills  were introduced. 35 Bills were passed by Lok Sabha and 32 Bills were passed by Rajya Sabha. 30 Bills have been passed by both the Houses of Parliament, which is a record in single first/effective Session after constitution of new Lok Sabha.
The most important business transacted during this Session is the abrogation of certain provisions from Article 370 and Presidential Orders thereunder. The Muslim Women  Bill, 2019, which declares the triple talaq/talaq-e-biddat void is a major step towards grant of gender justice to the Muslim women. Other important legislations include the Protection of Children form Sexual Offences  Bill, 2019, the National Medical Commission Bill, 2019, Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, National Investigation Agency  Bill, 2019, the Unlawful Activities  Amendment Bill, 2019 and Protection of Human Rights  Bill, 2019, the Code on Wages Bill, 2019 and the Motor Vehicle  Bill, 2019.
Departing from the earlier practice of adjourning the Houses for the day in the event of death of a sitting Member of the particular House, a new practice has been developed of adjourning the House for an Hour or Two and then meeting again for transacting essential business of the day.
The productivity of Lok Sabha was approx. 137% and that of Rajya Sabha was approx. 103%.
Winter Session of Parliament - 15 Bills passed in both the Houses; Lok Sabha productivity 116% Rajya Sabha 100%:
The Winter Session, 2019 of Parliament which commenced on Monday, the 18th November, 2019 concluded today. The Session provided 20 sittings spread over a period of 26 days.
During the Session, 18 Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha passed 14 Bills while the Rajya Sabha passed 15 Bills during the session. 15 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament and would become Acts of Parliament.
Among the Bills passed by both Houses of the Parliament, the Constitution  Bill, 2019 aims to retain the inclusive character as envisioned by the founding fathers of the Constitution by continuing the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes for another ten years ie. upto 25th January, 2030. The Citizenship  Bill, 2019, Transgender Persons  Bill, 2019, Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill 2019, National Capital Territory of Delhi  Bill, 2019, Special Protection Group  Bill, 2019 and Arms Act  Bill, 2019, were among other major Bills enacted by the Parliament.
The productivity of Lok Sabha was approx. 116% and that of Rajya Sabha was approx. 100%.
The President of India launched web-portal of “National Youth Parliament Scheme”:
A special function on the occasion to commemorate 70th Anniversary of adoption of the Constitution of India, - “Samvidhan Diwas” was organized in the Central Hall of Parliament on 26th November. The President of India, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs graced the occasion and addressed the gathering of the Members of both Houses of Parliament.
On this occasion, the President Shri Ram Nath Kovind launched the Web-Portal of “National Youth Parliament Scheme”.
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has been implementing Youth Parliament programme since 1966 in Schools under the Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi and NDMC, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Universities/ Colleges. So far, around 8,000 educational institutions and more than 4,00,000 students have been covered under the Youth Parliament programme of the Ministry.
The web-portal of the National Youth Parliament Scheme is available at www.nyps.mpa.gov.in. The main objective of the portal is to increase the outreach of the youth parliament programme of the Ministry to hitherto untouched sections and corners of the country.
Orientation Course on Parliamentary Practices and Procedures for - IAS officers of 2017 Batch:
Inaugurating the Orientation Course in New Delhi on 17th July, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Om Birla said that the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary wings should all fulfil their responsibility to bring a change and give direction to build a New India. He advised the officers to move ahead with an open mind to do justice to the people in an impartial manner.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi called upon the officers to think of the last person of the society, as they perform their duties. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal said that as part of the Executive wing of democratic system they should be responsible to the people. MoS  Shri V. Muraleedharan said the officers should make every effort to build a New India.
International Yoga Day 2019 celebrated in Parliament:
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Shri Pralhad Joshi participated in the yoga event on 21st June organised by Lok Sabha Secretariat, along with Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, other Ministers and MPs.